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Podcasts by Queer Folks

Comedy podcasting has become even more queer, and it could not be more amazing.

Two new podcasts, Queery and Homophilia, are creating a beautiful new type of interview. Heartfelt and funny, both of these podcasts are queer people interviewing queer people, mostly but not exclusively comedians, actors, and writers. Homophilia is hosted by Dave Holmes and Matt McConkey, and Queery is hosted by Cameron Esposito.

Cameron Esposito is Homophilia’s first guest, and she describes her show Queery as a response to disappointing interviews for and by straight cis people usually only covering the surface, entry level terms and not going deeper into who the person is.

“[These questions are] things that I don’t talk about with my friends…” said Esposito. ‘There isn’t really an opportunity for in-group conversations… In order to get to the next place, we need to approach media that way. The LGBT community needs to talk to each other.”

Nothing is more annoying than straight interviewers asking our favorite queer people the same questions over and over, guzzling time by asking basic, general questions about being queer and ignoring getting to know the whole beautiful totality of the person being interviewed. These interviews are personal and relatable rather than solely a teaching experience for straight cis people.

The beauty of these podcasts is the recognition of all of our different experiences. When Holms and McConkey interviewed Esposito, all of them had different perspectives of the experience of athletics as a queer person. Both shows highlight the similarities and differences of experiences of gay men and gay women. I love that the Homophilia hosts invite queer women, and I love that Esposito invites queer men. These dialogues are crucial for our community.

The discussion of gender experience in these podcasts is insightful and provides more visibility for the whole spectrum of sexuality and gender. In Esposito’s interview with her wife Rhea Butcher, Butcher discusses being genderqueer while also using pronouns “she, her” because of being socialized and raised within the female experience.

“You have to exist in both worlds,” Butcher says, “where you don’t believe in a binary because somebody made it up, and you also exist in a world that has one… The binary is oppressive, but to live as though it doesn’t exist would be depressive to myself.”

Butcher has been featured as a guest a second time after coming out as non-binary. Queery has created a space for guests and queer role models to say, “I am figuring it out”.

I highly recommend keeping up with these podcasts; you’ll find people who put words to your experience and people that give you a perspective on queerness that you’ve never experienced or considered. Each week is a new guest with whom you will fall in love. Both podcasts are available through iTunes. Both Queery and Homophilia are on the Earwolf platform.earwolf.com

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Published by gkgurley

A social worker, proofreader, and freelance writer, I am passionate about using my writing for social change. I advocate for mental health. I also write and perform sketch comedy, write poetry, write book and product reviews, and work with people with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. I am available to do any sort of freelance work you need! https://writers.work/virginiagurley
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